Arriving in Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, captain of the king's guard, in whose service he remained for ten years. He was here exposed to temptations of no ordinary character. He was in the midst of idolatry. The worship of false gods was surrounded by all the pomp of royalty, supported by the wealth and culture of the most highly civilized nation then in existence. Yet Joseph preserved his simplicity and his fidelity to God. The sights and sounds of vice were all about him, but he was as one who saw and heard not. His thoughts were not permitted to linger upon forbidden subjects. The desire to gain the favor of the Egyptians could not cause him to conceal his principles. Had he attempted to do this, he would have been overcome by temptation; but he was not ashamed of the religion of his fathers, and he made no effort to hide the fact that he was a worshiper of Jehovah.

Ved ankomsten til Ægypten blev Josef solgt til Potifar, der var livvagtens øverste. Han blev i dennes tjeneste i ti år. Det var ikke helt almindelige fristelser, han blev udsat for her. Han boede midt blandt afgudsdyrkere. Tilbedelsen af falske guder var her forbundet med al den kongelige pragt, rigdom og kultur, som datidens højst civiliserede nation kunne opvise. Men Josef bevarede sin ligefremhed og sin troskab mod Gud. Lastefuldhed appellerede til ham overalt gennem synet og hørelsen, men han lod, som om han hverken så eller hørte noget af det. Han lod ikke sine tanker dvæle ved forbudte emner. Ønsket om at vinde ægypternes gunst kunne ikke få ham til at skjule sine principper. Havde han søgt at gøre det, ville han være blevet overvundet af fristelser, men han skammede sig ikke over sine fædres religion og gjorde sig ingen anstrengelser for at skjule, at han tilbad Gud.